In the field of hand bookbinding and repair, there has been for centuries a constant and generally unimproved set of equipment dedicated to the following functions: (a) the clamping of books during certain phases of work, (b) the pressing of books during other phases of work, and (c) the holding of books and securing media during the sewing phase of work.
The equipment for function (a) is currently known as a lying press, for function (b) a standing press, and for function (c) a sewing frame. In general, all equipment has been operated by the manual turning of one or two screws or nuts.
With the advent of the machine-made book, all three pieces of equipment were phased out of the mass production of books. There remain, however, many binderies as well as restoration centers which demand the use of handwork on books and therefore the employment of the said equipment.
When working on a single book, no more than one piece of said equipment need be used at a time. It follows, therefore, that a multiple-service or combination device capable of all three functions could save both space and capital expenses even when several devices are used at once.